Locking closure



Sept. 12, 1933.

T. D. LAZARI DES LOCKING CLOSURE Filed April 4, 1930 30 a PM Y Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a locking closure of the type which is adapted to be applied to the opening in a tank or'other container.

The closure is particularly adapted to be ap- 5 plied to the usual gasoline tanks of automobiles.

Such tanks usually have a neck projecting from the body of the tank, and the rim of the neck has suitably spaced openings therein to receive tabs or projections or finger pieces which are fastened to the closure cap. The finger pieces are spaced to register with the openings in the rim of the container in order that the cap can be applied by placing it on the neck of the container so that the finger pieces pass through the openings in the rim, and then turning the cap so that the finger pieces move from the position in which they register with the openings to a position under the rim whereby the cap is firmly secured on the container. The locking mechanism which will hereafter be described is adapted to block one or more of the openings in the rim or to change the relative position of the finger pieces so that when the lock is in locked position, one or more of the finger pieces cannot register with the openings in the rim of the container, with the result that the cap cannot be removed from the container until the lock is unlocked.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following claims, taken in conjunction with the description and accom panying drawing, which, however, must beconsidered'as merely illustrating and in no way limiting the invention to the embodiment shown and described. 1

The drawing illustrates in elevation, section and detail a selected form of construction adapted for use in such a locking closure and embody the broad principles of the invention.

In the drawing: V

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the cap and container rim showing that form of cap which has the lock on the cap;

Fig. 2 is a view looking from the bottom into the cap of Fig. 1; r Fig. 3 is a section'on line 33 of in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view looking into a cap which is similar to the cap shown in Fig. 1, except that the finger pieces have a slightly different construction; Y

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, of the form of locking closure in which Fig. 2 looking the lock is applied to an adapter for the neck of V the container; V

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the closure shown in Fig. 5, looking squarely into the locking mechanism; and r Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7'7 of Fig. 6. looking in the direction of the arrows.

Only such parts of the container have been shown as is necessary to illustrate the manner in which the closure is applied thereto. The neck of the container is denoted by the numeral 1, the rim is denoted by the numeral 2, and the openings in the rim are denoted by the numeral .65 3. Only two openings have been shown but it is to be understood that any number of openings 3, which are necessary to receivea corresponding number of finger pieces on the cap, may be used. 1 V

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the cap has the usual shell 4 which has a skirt 5 adapted to fit over the neck 1 of the container, and within the shell is the usual cork or composition washer 6. Inside of the cap is a disk '7 from which extend the finger pieces 8 and 9. The disk 7 is fastened to the shell of the cap in any suitable manner such, for instance, as by screws 10 which preferably pass through hollow elongated spacing washers or tubes 11 which 0 hasbeenapplied to'the container. If desired,

the spacing washers or tubes 11 may be firmly fixed in any suitable way, as by soldering, to the shell of the cap, and may be threaded to receive the screws 10, in which case the screws 10 will screw into the parts 11 rather than pass through the parts 11 and screw into the shell.

A'movable plate 12 is fastened to the plate 7 in any suitable Way, for instance,'by the pivot or rivet 13 so that the finger pieces Y14 and 15 which are on the plate 12, may be moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 to such a position that they lie above and parallel to and coincide with the finger pieces 8 and 9 which are fastened to the cap. A spring 16 is preferably used to hold the plates '7 and 12 in engagement with each other. v

The plate 12 with its finger pieces 14 and 15 is controlled and moved into either position from the exterior of the cap, and is locked in either its spread position, as is shown in Fig. 2, or in the position where the finger pieces Hand 15 coincide with the finger pieces 8 and 9, by any suitable moving and locking mechanism which is here illustrated as a key operated lock. The barrel 1'7 1 of the lock extends upwardly through the barrel enclosing portions 18 of the cap shell, to a convenient position for the key to be inserted into the keyway 19 which is covered by the lid 20 so that rain or dirt, etc., will not get into the lock. The barrel of the lock is connected to the movable plate 12 by any suitable means, such as the pin 21 which moves with the lock and thereby moves the movable plate 12 into either its locked or unlocked position. The curved slot 22 is used with the key operated lock herein disclosed to enable the key to have the movement which is necessary for withdrawing it from the look while moving the movable fingers only far enough to place them in their diiferent positions.

The operation of the locki g closure is easily understood. When the lock is in its unlocked position the movable finger piece 15 lies over and coincides with the fixed finger piece 8 and the movable finger piece 14 lies over and coincides with the fixed fingerpi'ece 9, in which position the cap may be removed from the container by twisting the cap to bring the finger pieces in registry with the openings 3 To look the cap onto the container, the cap is applied tov the rim of the neck 1 of the container with the corresponding fixed and movable finger pieces in their unlocked position, that is, with the finger pieces coinciding. The cap, is then turned until the, fixedfinger pieces move under the rim 2 of the container, after which the key is inserted in the keyway l9 and turned to move the movablefinger pieces 14 and 15 at an angle to the fixed finger pieces 8 and 9, after which the key is withdrawn from the look. It is thereafter impossible to remove the cap from the container because one or more oftherfin'ger pieces will always be under the rim 2 even though the other finger pieces ma coincide with the openings 3. The form of cap shown in Fig. 4. issubstantially the same as that shown in Fig. 2; the only substantial difference being, that the finger pieces are one half or less than one half of the width of the'openings so that when the closure is in its unlocked positionthe movable finger pieces 14 and 15 lie next to and parallel to, instead of over, the corresponding fixed finger pieces.

The locking closure shown in Figs. 5-7has been particularly designed so that the lock is on the side thereof rather than on the top. In order to obviate the necessity of having to alter the neck 1 of the container, an adapter -23 -is used.

- In its operation the adapter is really ajcontinuation of the neck of the container. Theadapter is fastened to-the neck-of the conta-inerrby any suitable means, such as a locking washer 24; and

then turned so that the under-turned end 2'? of thelocking bar 25 passes under the rim 2 of the containerand until the slots 28 are directly above 7 the tabs29'so that the tabs 29 can be bent upwardly to fit into theslots-28. Preferably the tabs 29 are in .pairs so that there is a projection 30 between each pair ofxtabs and against which the sides of the tabs fit quite closely. If desired, the

with similar looks. a retaining bar 25. The locking washer, and the lower portion of the adapter may be cut away, as is indicated at 31, to facilitate the application of the adapter to the container and the use of the tabs 29. The locking bar 25 is rigidly fastened in any suitable manner, for instance, by screws 32, on the top of the lower flange of the adapter. A compressible washer 33 is preferably used to make a liquid tight connection between the bottom of the adapter and the locking washer 24. It

' will thus be readily understood that the adapter is held on the rim 2 by the under-turned end 27 of the locking bar 25, and that the adapter is prevented from being turned, so that it cannot be removed .from the container, by the downturned tabs 26 which prevent the locking washer from turning on the rim 2 and the up-turned tabs 29 which prevent the adapter from being turned on the locking washer 24.

The top of the adapter is provided with a rim 34 having openings 35, the rim and openings corresponding to the rim 2 and the openings 3 of the container, so that the same cap 36, having the same finger pieces 37, which was used on the rim 2,]can be used on the rim 34. It is of course possible to make the rim -34 andthe openings 35 in such a waythat a special cap will have to be used but the rim and the openings are. preferably such that, the original cap can be used.

The locking. mechanism which prevents the cap from being removed from the adapter, in cludes a locking plate 38. which may move in such a manner that the block 39 enters "one of the openings '35. The block 39 prevents the fingers from registering with the opening 35 and consequently will prevent any of the other fingers which are affixed to the cap from registering in their openings. 1 The, block 39 is preferably a part of the locking plate 38 which is preferably curved to fit the inside of the adapter and is slidablyfastened to the wall of the adapter bythe fasteningpins or rivet-s, 4.0 which pass through slots 41 in the plate 38 so that the plate can slide up and down to bring the block 39 eitherinto the opening 3-5 or sufficiently below the rim 34 to permit the fingers 37 to pass over the top of I '44 beingprovided in the block 38 to permit the necessary side movementof the pin 4 2,as the lock TBVOIVBS." The'lock 43 which is shown is intended to be operated by a key, although it may beeperated by any other meanssuch as are usually used The cap 36 is locked on the rimof the. adapter (which may be considered as the rim of the container) when the parts are in thepositionshown in Fig. 6. ,In order to remove the cap, the key is inserted in the lock 43 and is turned, which operation moves the pin 42 downwardly. The move,- ment of the pin la-pulls downwardly the locking plate 38 and the block 39, whereuponthe cap. may

*bel-removed 'by twisting it until the finger pieces 37 register with the openings 35, whe re upon the cap may be pulled directly 'ofi to the adapter.-

, The locks which are used arepreferably such that the locking operation is completed and the key can be withdrawn at a half revolution, of the key so that they look may remain inun- -locked position incrder that the cap-may be "-used as an ordinary cap when desired and does IDS main in unlocked position so that the cap may easily be removed for filling the tank, but at night, when the car is in a public garage, the lock may be locked to prevent access to the tank. However, the lock may be such that the key cannot be withdrawn from the lock except when the lock is in locked position whereby the cap must always be locked on the tank.

From the above description it is apparent that various modifications of the invention may be made and it is therefore to be understood that, although a particular and preferred form of the invention has been described, it is recognized that many other and further modifications may be made and it is desired that the invention be construed as broadly as the claims, taken in conjunction with the prior art, may allow.

I claim:

1. A locking closure adapted to be applied to a container which has a rim with openings there in, including a cap, a plurality of fingers on the cap adapted to engage the rim, some of which are movable relatively to the cap and others of which are fixed relatively to the cap, a movable finger and a fixed finger being adapted to lie together to enter one or" the openings together, and a locking mechanism adapted to move the movable finger away from the fixed finger so that the two fingers do not register with the opening and to lock the movable finger in the position to which it is moved.

2. A locking closure adapted to be applied to a container which has a rim with openings therein, including a cap, a plurality of fingers on the cap adapted to engage the rim, someof which are movable relatively to the cap and others of which are fixed relatively to the cap, a movable finger and a fixed finger being adapted to lie parallel to each other to enter one of the openings together, and a locking mechanism adapted to move the movable finger at an angle to the fixed finger so that the two fingers do not register with the openings and to lock the movable finger in the position to which it is moved.

3. A device of the character described adapted to be applied to a container which has a rim with openings therein, including a cap, a plurality of fingers on the cap adapted to engage the rim, some of said fingers being movable relatively to the cap and others being fixed relatively to the cap, a movable finger and a fixed finger being adapted to lie adjacent one another to enter one of said openings together, and lock:- ing meansadaptedto move the movable finger away from the fixed finger so that the two fingers do not register with the opening and to lock the movable finger in the position to which it is moved.

4. A device of the character described adapted to be applied to a container which has a rim with openings therein, including a cap, a plurality of fingers on the cap adapted to engage the rim, some of said fingers being fixed relatively to said cap and others being movable angularly with respect to the fixed fingers, a movable finger and a fixed finger being adapted to lie parallel with each other to enter one of the openings together, and locking means adapted to move the movable finger at an angle to the fixed finger; so that the two fingers do not register with the openings.

5. A device of the character described adapted to be applied to a container which has a rim with openings therein, including a cap, a plurality of fingers on the cap adapted to engage the rim, some of the fingers being fixed relatively to the cap and others being pivotally mounted on the cap, a movable finger and a fixed finger being adapted to lie parallel to each other to enter one of the openings together, and. a locking mechanism adapted to move the pivoted finger at an angle to the fixed finger so that the two fingers do not register with the openings in the rim of the container.

THRASYBULE D. LAZARIDES. 

